Nevada Bill Would Allow Patients to Hold Doctors Accountable for Prescribing Addictive Medication

I’ve written many times about the dangers of addictive prescription drugs and the toll they can take on trusting patients. Now it seems that a Nevada State Senator wants to hold doctors – and drug makers – responsible for prescribing drugs that cause addiction.

Senate Bill 75, introduced by Tick Segerblom, D-Las Vegas, is facing intense criticism. However, Senator Segerblom’s reasoning makes sense:

They know the person can get addicted to the drug so they should pay for the process of them getting off it. – Nevada State Senator Tick Segerblom

Simply put, SB 75 would put the cost of treating addiction to prescription medications back on the manufacturers and prescribers of the medication. This type of accountability would result in drug makers developing less-addictive drugs and doctors trying alternative treatments.

In Michigan, drug manufacturers enjoy complete legal immunity for drugs that are approved by the FDA, even if those drugs turn out to be defective and injure countless people. In other words, Michigan residents can’t sue pharmaceutical companies when those companies are negligent. This FDA immunity law – the only law of its kind in the United States – is an appalling example of injustice suffered by patients and consumers for the benefit of huge corporations.

Although Nevada’s SB 75 appears to have an uphill battle, its purpose is clear: Hold doctors and drug makers accountable for the costs of addiction.